...they list for $110 new (clearance+REI dividend=$70 for me). I bought them on the recommendation of a good friend of mine who wears them primarily for disc golf.

So I never realized what a big difference a shoe makes in playing disc golf until I wore these for a couple of rounds. I now understand that the entire goal of most shoe makers is to isolate you from the ground so that you can't feel it or connect with it, but in disc golf it is far better to have shoes that actually better connect you to the ground (the ground is your friend). These shoes accomplish that goal amazingly well, and they also look better (and inspire less curious stares and questions) than the 5-fingers from Vibram. (Note: I usually wear size 9.5, but these fit well in size 9 (like a glove) with little pressure or initial discomfort.)

I also examined the construction. There doesn't seem to be much of anything that could go wrong with these minimalist type of shoes. The sole is very nicely integrated into the shoe itself, and there doesn't seem to be much chance of separation of any pieces. The tread is fantastic, but it isn't very deep and so I suspect that they will wear out the tread before anything else.

The seude gloves are versatile and look good enough to wear with business casual.

One downside to these shoes is that they're not water-proof. Merrell does indeed offer a GORE-TEX version, however, they are listed at $170.

Anyways, I just thought I would share this revelation here. If anything happens with them, I'll post the review here, but so far, so good.

In terms of playing, I noticed the biggest difference while putting on rugged terrain. The vibram soles have superb grip, and my feet feel molded to the ground more naturally. This makes assuming a balanced stance dramatically easier than wearing a bouncy-cushiony type of shoe (running, tennis, etc.). And since my score depends dramatically more upon my putting, this take priority over driving. Driving with these is also nice, but I'm not yet used to driving with a shoe that offers so much grip and great feel, so it will take a little time to adjust...I can see that it will be easier to feel and push off the ground in order to get more strength into the throw, but the pivot foot is going to be the tricky adjustment, at least for me.

Amen brotha Hern. I was wearing the New Balance Minimus Trails for a while. I would wear them without socks so water was no big deal. One of my favorite things about this shoe is that not having a heel on the shoe, it is easy to transfer your weight on drives from toe to heel. Also, being connected directly to the ground is great for putting and drives. Having a lot of cushioning in the heal is great for a long day of walking but it isn't a big enough of a difference to trade the performance of the minimalist shoe in my opinion.

The one downside to those shoes was they wore through on the inside of the shoe where one of the nubs was on the ball of my foot. I either need to buy a new pair or put an insole in for a temporary fix. I have been hesitant to buy a new pair because they wore out fairly quickly (3 months hard wear-same as a pair of running shoes for me) but I don't think I can go back to something with significant support on it.

Jesse B 707 wrote:When I tried these on I felt way less stable than I do in my fivefingers...I could probably get used to them but they surely didn't feel half as natural as Vibram's offering.

Good to know...while these Merrell Gloves are minimalist, they are definitely minimalist-lite in comparison to 5-fingers. Who knows, maybe I'll end up wearing 5-fingers in the end, and these are just gateway shoes.

They don't kid when they call Vibrams barefoot shoes and i've got the 3mm thicker soled Komodosports because of better insulation against thin stumps on the course and rocks plus the toe protection. Which still is minimal but worth it after hitting obstacles i can say that every bit of protection is good. And this opinion was before i got marathon runners nail in a sneaker. After this i'm even more glad for the minimal but important toe protection. I haven't looked closely at newer Vibram models but they've arrived and i got the impression that some offer at least as much extra safety margin.

When i was buying mine i tried the thinner soled earlier Vibrams and the difference wasn't huge but it was there. I recommend the thinner ones only for runners and hard core barefoot people and the more robust ones for DG. But not for those who have plantar fascitis. At least you can't play as long in light shoes as you can with shoes with good arch support=sneakers etc. Until the tendon in the arch has strengthened enough to handle a full day of DG. Or in my case 10-13 hours of work+DG in a row spelled disaster repeated too many times last year. Can't blame a guy for trying to rehab after injuries.

My tip is to not push through pain if you get a sharp pin prick like pain in the bottom of the foot ahead of the heel. PF can happen with sneakers but any light shoes magnify the stresses.

Flat shots need running on the center line of the tee and planting each step on the center line. Anhyzer needs running from rear right to front left with the plant step hitting the ground to the left of the line you're running on. Hyzer is the mirror of that.

My wife got me a pair of Merrell trail gloves for fathers day. They are great. They have a much larger toe box than the MT20s and breath better (no socks + sweaty feet= stink bomb) . I will report back with durability results after a month or 2.

So, after a month, I've started to notice how these shoes wear with time and use. The shoe exterior, bindings, stitches, glues, etc., have held up perfectly. The suede is in fantastic condition (high quality). The insoles are holding up great.

There is a slight narrow ridge-shaped piece of something under the sole (extending forward to just behind the ball of the feet) that I noticed a great deal when I first bought these, but now I'm used to it. The ridge has not disappeared, it is the same now as before. If anyone knows about the purpose of this, I'd love to know.

The biggest noticeable wear has been on the soles. The particular style I bought is more of a casual shoe, it had small (4 mm-ish edge) square shaped nubs which have largely worn off where I pivot. The rest of it is in good shape, and still offers good traction.

There is also a grey sole piece inside the arch which doesn't actually touch the ground most times, but I've found it is vulnerable to being punctured by sharp sticks (ouch!). It is kind of like a foam/rubber construction, not sure why they didn't have the vibram soles extending to this area. Again, I think this may just be a feature of this particular model of Glove shoes. Anyways, just something to be aware of.

JR wrote:...not for those who have plantar fascitis. At least you can't play as long in light shoes as you can with shoes with good arch support=sneakers etc. Until the tendon in the arch has strengthened enough to handle a full day of DG. Or in my case 10-13 hours of work+DG in a row spelled disaster repeated too many times last year. Can't blame a guy for trying to rehab after injuries...My tip is to not push through pain if you get a sharp pin prick like pain in the bottom of the foot ahead of the heel. PF can happen with sneakers but any light shoes magnify the stresses.

I've had plantar fasciitis before, but it was because I was wearing bad shoes (worn-loose fit, irregular foot bed, etc.). As soon as I began investing in better shoes, it went away. After wearing these Merrell Glove shoes, I haven't experienced any PF symptoms at all, even after many many rounds.

keltik wrote:has anyone tried the Altra brand?

Looks interesting, let us know what you find out!

I probably would have tried the Vibram minimalist except I don't like the separated toes. I don't want to feel any garbage between my toes, the kind of breathable toe box in the Merrell Gloves is far more comfortable to me.

I've been reading things like toesalad.com and other sites that pretty much espouse what I've felt my whole life, modern shoes are bad for your feet. we have a shit ton of muscles and ligaments and tendons in our feet and all the "support" etc prevent these muscles from working and thus causing misalignments and over and improper use of our hips legs knees and ankles.

JHern i'd like to hear about longer term results. I don't like multi piece soles and puncture resistance compromises are a no go but if there are better models in the line up i may be interested if this shoe has longevity. I'm worried about the nub that are so large wearing so fast. It does not sound like a durable shoe sole wise.

Flat shots need running on the center line of the tee and planting each step on the center line. Anhyzer needs running from rear right to front left with the plant step hitting the ground to the left of the line you're running on. Hyzer is the mirror of that.

well I got the Altras yesterday and wore them around the office today. They are a bit slippery on wet grass which is a bit disconcerting. I have have to force myself to get used to VFFs. but I'll how they do in DG after lunch on Friday.

JR wrote:JHern i'd like to hear about longer term results. I don't like multi piece soles and puncture resistance compromises are a no go but if there are better models in the line up i may be interested if this shoe has longevity. I'm worried about the nub that are so large wearing so fast. It does not sound like a durable shoe sole wise.

The nubs are actually smaller than my first estimate, closer to 2mm cubes...wish I could find that damn ruler!

The grey sole piece is actually OK, but time will tell. And I should say that, the puncture I got through that part was from a really wicked piece of oak that had been through a wood chipper (mulch around the practice basket at DeLaveaga). It was actually shaped like a giant syringe needle, with hollow tube and all. I'm not very worried about being stabbed in the foot, and our courses are pretty rugged that way.

keltik wrote:I've been reading things like toesalad.com and other sites that pretty much espouse what I've felt my whole life, modern shoes are bad for your feet. we have a shit ton of muscles and ligaments and tendons in our feet and all the "support" etc prevent these muscles from working and thus causing misalignments and over and improper use of our hips legs knees and ankles.

I guess I'm partial to barefootedness being from the american south.

I agree completely. We evolved this way, with the feet we have, for a reason (although this particular rationale is probably not popular in the south). I think I'm becoming a philosophical minimalist, too. Although I'll still make exceptions for hardcore backpacking, there's no substitute for a stout pair of boots in that situation.

okay well, last week I played a quickie round in the Altras and they weren't so bad. I could feel everything under my feet but no slippage issues. but then again this was a flat pitch and putt scenario. I also happened to find a pair of VFF KSO's on sale at REI and I played two rounds in them on Sunday.

only one teepad slip with the VFF KSO's (it was an early morning round so lots of dew). the second round was on a rocky and wooded course. I could feel every root and stump stabbing me in the sole. My initial thoughts were that the VFF KSO had more padding than the Altra Adams. I guess I was wrong.

I went shoe shopping after checking out what's out there in stores in my town. I tried some Merrel Gloves like the Trail, Embark GTX and Pace with hands only. Their soles aren't tacky and aggressively enough nubbed for anything but fair weather clean tees if they are concrete. Even though they had good flexibility in the ball of the foot to front area i didn't even try them thanks to more promising options that i'll post about in other threads. For running and leisure i'm sure the Merrels are great. The weight and flexibility is way short of Fivefingers and somewhat less compared to Vivobarefoots.

Flat shots need running on the center line of the tee and planting each step on the center line. Anhyzer needs running from rear right to front left with the plant step hitting the ground to the left of the line you're running on. Hyzer is the mirror of that.